Apple, Microsoft Software Share Look—and Name

It turns out there is another similarity. Internally, Apple employees have been calling the new design “Modern UI,” according to people familiar with the nomenclature. That happens to be what people at Microsoft and developers call the company’s tiled Windows 8 interface. (It has also been referred to as “Metro.”)

It is, after all, a fairly generic name, and it is easy to see why Apple chose it. The design is a big break from the clunkier versions of years’ past.

But Apple isn’t keen to encourage comparisons to its archrival. So, Apple presenters have been told not call it “Modern UI” in demonstrations, the people familiar with the matter said.

(We aren’t allowed in to the sessions so can’t assess how they are doing.)

In other news from the event, Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi has been spotted in several sessions and “labs,” where developers get feedback from Apple engineers on their apps. Federighi added mobile software to his portfolio of duties in the fall and is taking on a more public role at the company.